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Coast Guard rescues 2 from racing yacht

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2 hurt sailors traveled to the Bay Area in a Coast Guard cutter, a race organizer says

2 others injured will arrive overnight on the yacht that was damaged in stormy weather

"Everyone is safe and sound," a Coast Guard official says of the rescue operation

The yacht was participating in a 40,000-mile round-the-world race at the time

Two sailors injured when their 67-foot racing yacht was damaged by a colossal wave pulled into San Francisco Bay on Monday, less than a day after being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Around 3 p.m., the Coast Guard cutter Bertholf carrying the pair was clearly visible and minutes away from docking in Alameda, according to Isabel Hokken, a spokeswoman for the Clipper Round the World Race that the yacht was participating in. Located just south of Oakland, Alameda is home to an island that houses a Coast Guard station.

The sailors were among four members of the Geraldton Western Australia's crew hurt Saturday in stormy weather as they sailed from China to San Francisco for one leg of the Clipper Round the World Race, race organizers said. The rest of the crew was described as "uninjured but shaken."

Rough waters hindered initial attempts to airlift the wounded from the yacht, which was about 250 miles west of San Francisco.

On Sunday evening, with the help of a rescue swimmer, the two most seriously hurt sailors were transferred first to a small rescue boat and eventually to the larger Coast Guard cutter.

They were identified by the Coast Guard as Jane Hitchens, 50, a doctor with suspected broken ribs, and Nik Brbora, 29, a software engineer with a possible pelvic strain. Race organizers had previously given different ages for those two and the other two sailors hurt.

As of Monday afternoon, Hitchins and Brbora were in stable condition, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Caleb Critchfield.

"This was a very successful operation," said Critchfield, minutes before the injured pair pulled up to the mainland. "Everyone is safe and sound."

After their arrival, Hitchins and Brbora will be transported to San Francisco General Hospital for further treatment, said Hokken.

The other sailors injured -- identified by race organizers and the Coast Guard as Max Wilson, 62, a farmer with suspected broken ribs, and Mark Burkes, 47, with a back injury -- remained on board their yacht on Monday.

Even after its weekend run-in with bad weather, the yacht was still operational and headed toward the Bay Area on Monday. It was expected to arrive with Wilson, Burkes and the rest of its crew in Oakland's Jack London Square around 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to Hokken.

On the race's website, the yacht's skipper, Juan Coetzer, said Burkes was at the helm of the boat when the wave came crashing over the stern.

"The water had so much force in it that it pushed Mark into the helm, snapping the pedestal clean off. We had no steering, and crew were falling all over the boat," Coetzer wrote.

The boat had been tossed by wind gusts between 45 and 70 mph before the wave hit, he said.

The yacht had been on the sixth leg of the eight-leg, 11-month race when it was struck.

The contest pits 10 yachts crewed by amateurs and one professional skipper apiece against each other on a 40,000-mile journey around the world's seas.

Hokken, the race spokeswoman, said the Geraldton Western Australia should undergo maintenance soon after it arrives, such that it could rejoin the race that is slated to end in July in England.

"We've seen a lot in the last 15 years, and any nature of ocean racing involves big seas," she said, adding race participants understand the dangers of traversing the world's oceans.